Lies, Lies, Lies!

^^^^ A PERFECT example of the photos we see on Instagram a lot. She has the perfect bod and hair, the perfect dress, and she is somewhere obviously very perfect. And the caption would be something like “Just enjoying the SUN :D” or a quote totally irrelevant to the picture.

BUT instead, she writes “NOT REAL LIFE” in capitals, then expands on the caption.

Essena O’Neill is a previous “Instagram star” with over half a MILLION followers. “Previous” because she was tired of the fake reality that the app promotes, and started captioning the pictures with the truths instead.

She effectively demonstrates the difference between what the photos are suggesting and what actually happened through the caption. She further admits on another media that she gets paid for the photos she posts.

I don’t know how the constant comparison on social media between the unrealistic (because THEY ARE EDITED, PHOTOSHOPPED AND FAKE) standards and the reality can be good for the people. Because the pictures stimulate comparisons immediately.

This article compiles the thoughts and dialogues of a group of college women after Essena’s confessions. Through this article, and many researchers, we can see the obvious correlation between the overuse of social media and self-esteem.

As Essena actively speaks out, what we don't see is the background that's cropped out and what the photographer had to do in preparation for those Instagram-perfect photos.

I feel like so many of us are exhausting ourselves, trying so hard to be recognized and wanting to be approved by the likes. Leading us to being guilty of posting such pictures. When in fact, we don't need the numbers to be beautiful and that is what Essena realized that day when she decided to change.

The college women in the article confesses to being jealous and self-conscious according to the number of followers or likes and because of the envy-causing pictures. We need to think about behind the scenes and always be aware that 

Social Media = Reality? FALSE

Instagram is worse than Facebook in that it is strictly image driven. Images to look richer, happier, and more successful. Or images that are to sell products (meaning photoshopped to make the product stand out, etc etc).

Looks like this girl is enjoying the beach and she is looking very freeeeeee~

Very free on a beach with a plastic bottle lying around and there's a pair of flip flops thrown away from the pic...

Ooooh, a woman peacefully on a field of green grass

JK, someone's holding her legs

Mmm...there's a dude giggling on the left...

With all the fantasies being posted, it is getting harder to actually like our own lives. 

"If we remove the filters from our pictures, do without the skin-smoothing apps, untag the designers that dress our appearance up on Instagram, what would be left and who would we see?"